Jessica Wilson - NSW to Italy
Mon 02 Nov 2009
Jessica Wilson from NSW is currently in Italy, she recently wrote to us:
"Hi SEA,
Just over half way through my exchange, I thought now would be the best time to give you an update on what’s been going on over here, and how I’ve been doing.
My host family is great, the mum and dad are lovely, and I get along great with my two host sisters. The house functions very differently to my own, the biggest difference being the way that Lidia (my host mum) runs the house. In the morning, although we don’t actually eat breakfast together, places are set and everything is laid out for each individual family member. After school, Anna (my host sister) and I come home everyday to a hot lunch ready and waiting on the table for us.
Anna thinks I’m insane for offering to help out with the housework, she said to me last week when I was cleaning up, “The one rule in the house is that ‘mum does it’!” Coming from a home where, although mum ‘runs’ the house, we are all expected to help out, that was something really disorientating, but five and a half weeks in, Anna has finally stopped reprimanding me for helping out.
The extended family is very close. We see one of my host aunts and uncle virtually every second day, and not a week goes by without seeing Lidia’s parents at least twice. They have even taught me a bit of Fruiliano, the local dialect.
The food here is great! Lidia's soups and pasta sauces are fantastic, my host aunt’s pizzas are like nothing I’ve ever tasted before, and nonna’s homemade gnocchi is to die for! I have lunch at school twice a week on the days I stay back for my extra Italian lessons, and although it’s cafeteria food it’s still a two-three course meal that is delicious. One of the great things about my class is that half my teachers find it perfectly acceptable to have a coffee during class, which, considering I have an espresso machine outside my classroom is fabulous!
I go to Church on a Sunday morning with Anna, and on Monday nights we have a bible study class with a group of her friends. Although you could hardly call it Bible study. It's a two-hour ‘meeting’ where we play games, act totally insane (as instructed by the Priest) and generally have a great time. The youngest person is around 13, I think, and the oldest is 20 or so.
I have had some of the most amazing experiences here, namely going to Venice with my host family. It is a beautiful place full of history and art (and great shopping!) and I feel so lucky to be experiencing it all from an angle that so few people do.
I’ve also been to Lignano, it’s the closest thing around here to home, and the smell of the sea air took me home to our beautiful beaches. Every summer, virtually the whole of Northern Italy gathers here, to what they think is a beach, but personally, I don’t think it counts; there’s no waves, the sand is flat and you can see other countries!
Grado is another place my host family have taken me. It’s the main port in the North of Italy; again, it was great to see the ocean.
It seems everywhere you go around here there is some sort of history about a Roman war, people taking over the place, and building a new church.
Last night, I went to see Cats with my host sister and three of her friends, and on Sunday, my host family took me to Trieste and to the Miramare castle, which was absolutely stunning.
I see Maddalena (local coordinator) about once a week, but mostly just in passing, although three weeks ago she took Stephanie and I out for coffee during the last hour of class. It was really good to debrief about what had been going on, and put everything into perspective. When I saw her last week she told me that my Italian teacher (from my extra lessons) said that I was doing really well, which was such a nice thing to hear.
Stephanie and I see one another during our recess breaks at school which we both find quite relieving, especially on the days on which we feel like we’re getting nowhere. I have made some great friends at school who I intend to stay in contact with once I get home. Our conversations are hilarious: sentences in Italian, with the occasional English word thrown in, and vice versa.
With just three weeks to go, I'm really missing school uniform! Having to pick what I’m going to wear to school every day (Saturday’s included) really isn’t as glamorous as I thought it would be! School here starts at 8am, and I have to wake up at 6am every morning, because I have to take two buses, and then walk for another 15 minutes or so to get to school.
I have three classes in the morning session, each for an hour, and then a fifteen minute recess break before going back to class for another two hours.
I have a lot of difficulty following law lessons, but I understand what’s going on in psychology, at least in general if not the specifics. That's something I'm really proud of. I think my biggest accomplishment in school so far was understanding and entire discussion in Religion, and I was even able to contribute an idea.
My Latin and Italian teachers give me work separate from the rest of the class, but I still attempt the Italian work the rest of class is set. This week my Latin teacher has been getting me more involved in Latin lessons, which aren't as hard as I though they'd be. At least there is such a thing as 'it' in Latin!
In science we are studying chemistry, which is great because it’s the same language, and because I’ve already done the topics at school in Australia, I understand what’s going on.
I have both an oral and written exam coming up this week, and even though I recognise the symbols I still haven’t mastered the names of the elements in Italian. That’s one big “To Do” before the exam.
English is great. I’ve taught a few lessons, and even written and marked two exams for the class. My English teacher is definitely one of my favourite people at the moment. It’s really nice to be able to speak English at a ‘normal’ pace with someone who understands the first time I say something!
After lunch we always have a stack of homework to do, which isn’t that great, but Anna and I always help each other with language work. For me homework is somewhat comical. It takes me two hours to do something that should take 10 minutes, and Anna’s explanations of the rules of Italian grammar are always accompanied by a great game of charades.
The week before last involved quite an adventure for me. It was the week I started my extra Italian lessons, which meant that I had to make my way from school to the bus station on my own. I ended up getting lost twice, after various wrong turns and accidentally ending up on the wrong side of town, I finally got to the station in about an hour and forty five minutes, even though it should have only taken twenty! I am so grateful that my Italian teacher taught me how to ask for directions; otherwise, I'd probably have ended up in Slovenia! On a positive note, I know where (not) to go, and it gave me a great opportunity to inspect the great shops, and find out which ones had sales on!
My biggest concern is my progress in the language. This experience has really made me realise that learning a language isn't something that just hits you; it's a slow and demanding process requiring every effort. While I feel I am definitely understanding a lot more, I'm finding it a lot more difficult to actually speak Italian.
Nevertheless, I’m trying to make the most of every opportunity to learn, explore and discover and I am more grateful for this amazing opportunity each and every day.
Jess."
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